This quote comes from Jim Farley, Group VP of Marketing at Ford, who this year moved 25% of his marketing budget out of traditional media and into digital marketing and social media. According to Jim, when new products like the Ford Fiesta are pivotal to company growth, “the company must rely on others to tell the story.” That’s Jim’s company up in the left and his constituents on the right. Who would you trust? For Ann Handley’s full interview with Jim, go to http://ow.ly/1n3g9O

In a related move, Pepsi, for the first time in 23 years, did not have commercials on the Super Bowl. Instead, the company is spending $20 million on a social media campaign called, The Pepsi Refresh Project, where users give ideas to Pepsi for ways to refresh their communities.

Maybe these moves reflect the facts that:

90% of all purchase decisions begin online

75% of people shop online before they buy offline

85% are looking for an independent review

They have an average of 130 friends on Facebook; an average of 127 followers on Twitter

Positive perceptions of a company increase by 36% if there’s a blog on their website

14% of people trust advertising

Only 18% of TV ad campaign ever generate a positive return on investment

I think Pepsi’s Super Bowl commercials are some of the most iconic advertising, ever, and believe their effectiveness was probably much greater than average. I was sorry and sad to see them exit the Super Bowl, altogether.

But, for those 86% who don’t trust advertising, now they hear about Pepsi from who they do trust, their friends.